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SABBATH
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QUARTERLY
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102
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CAL., OCTOBER,
1920
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LESSON
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Entered as second-class matter October 13,1904, at the Post Office in
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Bible
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PACIFIC PRESS
Studies
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A Corporation
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of S. D. A.
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on Creation
Fourth Quarter, 1920
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THIRTEENTH SABBATH OFFERING
December 25
Brazil and North Brazil
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THE FUNDAMENTALS
of
GEOLOGY
THE reliability of the Bible account of creation is
questioned by many because of its lack of harmony
with the popular so-called "scientific" geological and
evolutionary theories generally taught. In a clear and
interesting way, Prof. George Mc-
Cready Price 'shows, in his book
"Fundamentals of Geology," that
modern geological discoveries are
entirely out of joint with the stand-
ard geological theories. This com-
parison of theory with fact is truly
a revelation, and his work is heartily
endorsed by leading educators. For
example, Prof. George Howard
Parker, of the Harvard University,
writes, "I think you have brought
mt with great clearness the difficulties of supporting
the evolution theory from the geological side." And
Prof. William G. Moorehead, of the Xenia Theological
Seminary, Xenia, Ohio, says: " I must confess that I
have never read anything clearer and more convincing
on the subject. It seems to me final, so far as the
evolutionary theories and claims go."
Inasmuch as this subject of geology, rocks, strata,
and formations, and the general theory of evolution,
is constantly met by the advocate of the inspiration of
the Bible, this book will be a
very valuable reference
with this quarter's lessons.
It
lifts
the doctrine of a
universal Deluge out of the obscurity into which it has
fallen for nearly a century, and gives it once more a
respectable standing as the most reasonable hypothesis;
by which to explain the. facts of geology as we now
know them.
Order a copy of your tract society. Price .$1.25
postpaid. Ten per cent higher in Canada.
Bible Studies on Creation
:
1
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P i
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Lesson 1- The Creation
OCTOBER 2, 1920
Daily Study Outline
1. Read "Patriarchs and Prophets,” pages
44-441.
The creation of matter
Events of the second and third days
Creation of plants and lower animals
The creation of man
The position accorded man
Review the lesson.
•
Questions
Ques. 1-4
Ques. 3-8
Ques. 9-11
Ques. 12
Ques. 13,14
1.
What things is it proper for us to .study? Deut. 29:
29. Note 1.
2.
What does the Bible reveal concerning the origin of
all things? Gen. 1: 1; John 1: 1-3.
3.
Was the bringing into existence of the matter of the
earth itself included in the work of creation? Col. 1: 16;
Heb. 11: 3. Note 2.
4.
Give further evidence that the things we see did not
grow naturally out of materials already existing. Gen. 2: 4,
5; Ps. 33: 6, 9. Note 3.
5.
Why does the psalmist call upen all created things to
praise God? Ps. 148: 3-5. Note 4.
6.
After the materials of our earth were brought forth,
what was the next step in the work of creation? Gen. 1: 2-5.
7.
What was done on the second day? Verses 6-8. Note 5.
8.
What occurred on the third day? Verses 9-13. Note 6.
9.
What were the next changes? What uses were or-
dained for sun, moon, and stars? Verses 14-19. Note 7.
10.
What two classes of things were created on the fifth
day? Verses 20-23. Note 8.
11.
What things were next made? Verses 24, 25.
4
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
12.
What is said about the creation of man? Verse 26,
first part; verse 27. Note 9.
13.
To what position in the newly created world was the
man appointed? Verse 26, last part; verse 28.
14.
What further particulars are given regarding the
creation of man? Gen. 2: 7. Note 10.
Notes
1.
"The revelation of Himself that God has given in His Word is for our
study. This we may seek to understand. But beyond this we are not to
penetrate. The highest intellect may tax itself until it is wearied out in
conjectures regarding the nature of God, but the effort will be fruitless.
This problem has not been given us to solve. No human mind can com-
prehend God. None are to indulge in speculation regarding His nature.
Here silence is eloquence. The Omniscient One is above discussion."—
"Ministry
of
Healing," page 429.
2.
The doctrine that matter always existed has been taught by prac-
tically all systems of philosophy from the time of the early Greeks ; but it
is an essentially heathen doctrine, attempting to account for the things we
see without recognizing God as their Creator. "In the creation of the earth,
God was not indebted to preexisting matter. 'He spake, and it was ; . . .
He commanded, and it stood fast.' All things, material or spiritual, stood
up before the Lord Jehovah at His voice, and were created for His own
purpose. The heavens and all the host of them, the earth and all things
therein, came into existence by the breath of His mouth."—Id.,
pages
414, 415.
3.
From these scriptures, it is plain that the
means
of creation was
God's spoken word. He was in no sense dependent upon substances found
ready to hand. Even the first plants did not
grow
as they did later and
do nowt for in the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven, "no plant
of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung
up." Gen. 2: 5, A.
R.
V.
4.
How great is the reason for praise when all God's creatures recognize
their dependence upon Him for their very existence, for the substance itself
of which they consist
6. The "heaven" here spoken of is evidently not the third heaven where
God dwells. It is the "firmament," or
expanse
immediately above the earth.
This involved the creation of air to lift moisture above the earth, thus start-
ing the process of a mist
going
up from the earth to water vegetation and
make the air humid, as described in Gen. 2: 6. The connection shows the
sense in which the word "heaven" is used.
6. The most recent discoveries in biology which have bearing upon the
problems of heredity, show conclusively that each form of plant and animal
life still reproduces only "after its kind." The law of heredity, often called
Mendel's law, after its discoverer, shows that certain characteristics of
plants and animals, such as color, tallness, and dwarfness, depend upon the
presence of corresponding units of height or color in the germ cells. Com-
menting on this law as applied to peas, George McCready Price, in his "New
Light on the Doctrine of Creation," says:
"If we confine our study to the two contrasted characters, tallness and
dwarfness, we see that just three kinds of peas exist; namely, dwarfs which
breed true, tails which breed true, and tails which always
give
the same
definite proportion of tails and dwarfs among their descendants. Innu-
merable experiments which have since been made with other pairs of char-
acters have demonstrated that this same mathematical proportion holds
good throughout the whole world of plants and animals ; and hence this
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
5
astonishing result is now called Mendel's law, and is regarded as the most
important discovery in biology in several generations."—Page
85.
7.
What we have in detailed account in this first chapter of Genesis, is
merely the origin of the earth, and of the appearance of the heavens as
seen from the earth. This expression, "He made the stars also," affirms
that the Creator of our earth was also the Creator of the fixed stars, which
the heathen round about the Israelites almost universally worshiped as gods
and goddesses. The cloud-enveloped earth did not permit the appearance of
the heavenly bodies until the fourth day. Note that the sun, the moon, and
the stars were to serve as
signs,
as well as to mark off seasons, years, and
days. See Joel 2 : 10 ; Matt. 24: 29.
8.
Here, as in every phase of creation, God performed the original act
of existence, or life,
-
then commanded that development and multiplication
should go on by the same power that gave them being, and by fixed law
determined by Himself.
9.
Man and other living creatures are notable instances, in the record of
creation, of God's using material already existing to perform an act of
creation. Man was
formed
out of earth, then
made alive
through that same
living breath which had brought all the rest of creation into existence. He
is
kept alive
by the same means.
10.
"Here is clearly set forth the origin of the human race; and the di-
vine record is so plainly stated that there is no occasion for erroneous
conclusions. God created man in His own image. Here is no mystery.
There is no ground for the supposition that man was evolved, by slow de-
grees of development, from the lower forms of animal or vegetable life.
Such teaching lowers the great work of the Creator to the level of man's
narrow, earthly conceptions. Men are so intent upon excluding God from
the sovereignty of the universe, that they degrade man, and defraud him of
the dignity of his origin. He who set the starry worlds on high, and tinted
with delicate skill the flowers of the field, who filled the earth and the
heavens with the wonders of His power, when He came to crown His
glorious work, to place one in the midst to stand as ruler of the fair earth,
did not fail to create a being worthy of the hand that gave him life. The
genealogy of our race, as given by inspiration, traces back its origin, not to
a line of developing germs, mollusks, and quadrupeds, but to the great
Creator. Though formed from the dust, Adam was 'the son of God.' . . .
"Man was to bear God's image, both in outward resemblance and in
character. Christ alone is 'the express image' of the Father; but man was
formed in the likeness of God. His nature was in harmony with the will
of God. His mind was capable of comprehending divine things. His affec-
tions were pure ; his appetites and passions were under the control of rea-
son. He was holy and happy in bearing the image of God, and in perfect
obedience to His will.
"As man came forth from the hand of his Creator, he was of lofty
stature and perfect symmetry. His countenance bore the ruddy tint of.
health, and glowed with the light of life and joy. Adam's height was much
greater than that of men who now inhabit the earth. Eve was somewhat
less in stature; yet her form was noble, and full of beauty. The sinless
pair wore no artificial garments ; they were clothed with a covering of light
and glory, such as the angels wear. So long 'as they lived in obedience to
God, this robe of light continued to enshroud
them."—"Patriarchs and
Prophets," pages
44, 45.
Some one said to a faithful member of the Sabbath school,
"How do you always happen to have money for your offering?"
"It does not happen; I plan for it," was the reply.
6
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
Lesson
2
- Man's Eden Home
OCTOBER 9, 1920
Daily Study Outline
1.
Read "Patriarchs and Prophets,” pages
46-51; "The Great Controversy,” pages
662-678.
2.
plan's home and occupation
3.
The food of man and animals
4.
How the earth was watered
5.
Adam's knowledge of nature
6.
Life in the new earth
7.
Review the lesson.
Ques. 1-5
Ques. 6,7
Ques. 8,9
Ques. 10, II
Ques. 12
Questions
1.
How did the earth look when God finished it? Gen. 1:
31. Note 1.
2.
What was the only thing lacking to make the first man
happy? Gen. 2: 20, 18.
3.
How did the Creator supply Adam's need in this re-
spect? Verses 21-25. Note 2.
4.
What place was especially prepared for the home of the
first pair? Verses 8, 9, 15. Note 3.
5.
What was to be man's occupation? Verse 15. Note 4.
6.
What was provided as man's food? Gen. 1: 29.
7.
What kind of food was provided for the animals?
Verse 30. Note 5.
8.
Why do all things now on the earth differ greatly from
the ideal condition at the beginning? Gen. 3: 17-19; Matt.
13: 27, 28.
9.
How was the earth watered before the Flood, when
"the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth"?
Gen. 2: 6. Note 6.
10.
What was the general condition of the earth down
even to the time of the Flood? Note 7.
11.
How did Adam reveal a comprehensive knowledge of
nature? Verses 19, 20. Note 8.
12.
What has been promised regarding the life of God's
people in the new earth? Isa. 35: 1, 5, 6, 10; Rev. 21: 3, 4.
Note 9.
Notes
1. "As the earth came forth from the hand of its Maker, it was
exceed-
ingly
beautiful. Its surface was diversified with mountains, hills, and
plains, interspersed with noble rivers and lovely lakes ; but the hills and
mountains were not abrupt and rugged, abounding in terrific steeps and
frightful chasms, as they now do; the sharp, ragged edges of earth's rocky
framework were buried beneath the fruitful soil, which everywhere pro-
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
7
duced a luxuriant growth of verdure. There were no loathsome swamps nor
barren deserts. Graceful shrubs and delicate flowers greeted the eye at
every turn. The heights were crowned with trees more majestic than any
that now exist. The air, untainted by foul miasma, was clear and healthful.
The entire landscape outvied in beauty the decorated grounds of the proud-
est palace. The angelic host viewed the scene with delight, and rejoiced
at the wonderful works of God."—"Patriarchs
and Prophets," page 44.
2.
"Eve was created from a rib taken from the side of Adam, signifying
that she was not to control him, as the head, nor to be trampled under his
feet as an inferior, but to stand by his side as an equal, to be loved and
protected by him. A part of man, bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh,
she was his second self ; showing the- close union and the affectionate at-
tachment that should exist in this relation. . . . God celebrated the first
marriage. Thus the institution has for its originator the Creator of the
universe. 'Marriage is honorable;' it was one of the first gifts of God to
man, and it is one of the two institutions that, after the fall, Adam brought
with him beyond the gates of Paradise. When the divine principles are
recognized and obeyed in this relation, marriage is a blessing ; it guards the
purity and happiness of the race, it provides for man's social needs, it ele-
vates the physical, the intellectual, and the moral nature."—Id.,
page 46.
3.
"The home of our first parents was to be a pattern for other homes
as their children should go forth to occupy the earth. That home, beauti-
fied by the hand of God Himself, was not a gorgeous palace. Men, in their
pride, delight in magnificent and costly edifices, and glory in the works of
their own hands ; but God placed Adam in a garden. This was his dwelling.
The blue heavens were its dome ; the earth, with its delicate flowers and
carpet of living green, was its floor; and the leafy branches of the goodly
trees were its canopy. Its walls were hung with the most magnificent
adornings,— the handiwork of the great Master Artist.
-
In the surround-
ings of the holy pair was a lesson for all time,— that true happiness is
found, not in the indulgence of pride and luxury, but in communion with
God through His created works. If men would give less attention to the
artificial, and would cultivate greater simplicity, they would come far nearer
to answering the purpose of God in their creation. Pride and ambition are
never satisfied, but those who are truly wise will find substantial and ele-
vating pleasure in the sources of enjoyment that God has placed within the
reach of all."—
Id., pages 49, 50.
4.
"To the dwellers in Eden was committed the care of the garden, `to
dress it and to keep it.' Their occupation was not wearisome, but pleasant
and invigorating. God appointed labor as a blessing to man, to occupy his
mind, to strengthen his body, and to develop his faculties. In mental and
physical activity, Adam found one of the highest pleasures of his holy ex-,
istence. /And when, as a result of his disobedience, he was driven from his
beautifdl home, and forced to struggle with a stubborn soil to gain his daily
bread, that very labor, although widely different from his pleasant occupa-
tion in the garden, was a safeguard against temptation, and a source of
happiness. Those who regard work as a curse, attended though it be with
weariness and pain, are cherishing an error. The rich often look down
with contempt upon the working classes ; but this is wholly at variance
with God's purpose in creating man. What are the possessions of even the
most wealthy, in comparison with the heritage given to the lordly Adam?
Yet Adam was not to be idle. Our Creator, who understands what is for
man's happiness, appointed Adam his work. The true joy of life is found
only by the working men and women. The angels are diligent workers ;
they are the ministers of God to the children of men. The Creator has pre-
pared no place for the stagnating practice of indolence."— Id.,
page 50.
5.
The original diet provided for such animals as the lion, the• tiger, the
vulture, and the serpent, seems to have been the same as for all others —
green herbs. In this connection, it is interesting to note that almost every
flesh-eating animal has been found to like some form of vegetable food,
even in preference to its usual flesh food. The anteaters, with their long
8
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
snouts and grasping tongues, which seem as if made expressly to
get
their
food as they now do, are now known to be very fond of honey, their long
noses and tongues being equally well fitted for obtaining honey as for ob-
taining insect food. Bears are greedy for berries and honey, and will not
kill small animals when they can get the vegetable foods they like. All
flesh-eating animals seem to require more protein food than they can readily
obtain from ordinary vegetable foods. But if this is so, we may conclude
that back in earth's primitive condition, before the Flood, some particular
kind of vegetable food had been provided for every type of animal; and that
flesh-eating instincts have largely been developed since the Flood, because
hungry animals cannot now easily obtain the foods originally provided
for them.
We are told that there will finally be a "restitution of all things" (Acts
3: 21) ; from this we may conclude that the earth when made new will be
very much like the original when the Lord pronounced it "very good." The
original animal instincts were undoubtedly like those indicated for the
new
earth state in Isa. 11: 6-9 ; 65: 25. If it is thus with animals, how much
-
more strikingly is it true that man has departed far from God's original
plan for his food!
6.
"The world before the Flood reasoned that for centuries the laws of
nature had been fixed. The recurring seasons had come in their order.
Heretofore rain had never fallen; the earth had been watered by a mist or
dew.
The rivers had never yet passed their boundaries, but had borne their
waters safely to the sea. Fixed decrees had kept the waters from overflow-
ing their banks."—
Id., pages 96, 97.
7.
"In the days of Noah a double curse was resting upon the earth, in
consequence of Adam's transgression and of the murder committed by Cain.
Yet this had not greatly changed the face of nature. There were evident
tokens of decay, but the earth was still rich and beautiful in the gifts of
God's providence. The hills were crowned with majestic trees supporting the
fruit-laden branches of the vine. The vast, garden-like plains were clothed
with verdure, and sweet with the fragrance of a thousand flowers. The
fruits of the earth were in great variety, and almost without limit. The
trees far surpassed in size, beauty, and perfect proportion, any now to be
found; their wood was of fine grain and hard substance, closely resembling
stone, and hardly less enduring. Gold, silver, and precious stones existed
in abundance."—
Id., page 90.
8.
Adam doubtless had a keen insight into the nature of every animal,
and named each one in harmony with its prominent traits. How his knowl-
edge of nature in•general constantly
grew
as later he studied with Eve, is
shown in the following quotation:
"The holy pair were not only children under the fatherly care of God,
but students receiving instruction from the all-wise Creator. They were
visited by angels, and were granted communion with their Maker, with no
obscuring veil between. They were full of the vigor imparted by the tree
of life, and their intellectual power was but little less than that of the
angels. The mysteries of the visible universe —'the wondrous works of
Him who is perfect in knowledge
.
— afforded them an exhaustless source of
instruction and delight. The laws and operations of nature, which have
engaged men's study for six thousand years, were opened to their minds .by
the infinite Framer and Upholder of all. They held converse with leaf
and flower and tree, gathering from each the secrets of its life. With every
living creature, from the mighty leviathan that playeth among the waters,
to the insect mote that floats in the sunbeam. Adam was familiar. He had
given to each its name, and he was acquainted with the nature and habits
of all. God's glory in the heavens, the innumerable worlds in their orderly
revolutions, 'the balancings of the clouds,' the mysteries of light and sound,
of day and night,— all were open to the study of our first parents. On
every leaf of the forest or stone of the mountains, in every shining star,
in earth and air and sky, God's name was written. The order and harmony
of creation spoke to them of infinite wisdom and power. They were ever
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
9
discovering some attraction that filled their hearts with deeper love, and
called forth fresh expressions of gratitude."—
Id.,
pages
50, 51.
How different is this picture from that of the evolutionist, who pic-
tures man as developing from lower forms of life through myriads of ages !
9. "There, when the veil that darkens our vision shall be removed, and
our eyes shall behold that world of beauty of which we now catch glimpses
through the microscope; when we look on, the glories of the heavens, now
scanned afar through the telescope; when, the blight of sin removed, the
whole earth shall appear 'in the beauty of the Lord our God,' what a field
will be open to our study! There the student of science may read the rec-
ords of creation, and discern no reminders of the law of evil. He may
listen to the music of nature's voices, and detect no note of wailing or
undertone of sorrow. In all created things he may trace one handwriting,—
in the vast universe behold 'God's name writ large,' and-not in earth or sea
or sky one sign of ill remaining."—"Education,"
page 803.
"In the Bible the inheritance of the saved is called a country. There the
heavenly Shepherd leads His flock to fountains of living waters. The tree
of life yields its fruit every month, and the leaves of the trees are for the
service of the nations. There are ever-flowing streams, clear as crystal, and
beside them waving trees cast their shadows upon the paths prepared for
the ransomed of the Lord. There the wide-spreading plains swell into hills
of beauty, and the mountains of God rear their lofty summits. On those
peaceful plains, beside those living streams, God's people, so long pilgrims
and wanderers, shall find a home. . . .
"All the treasures of the universe will be open to the study of God's re-
deemed. Unfettered by mortality, they wing their tireless flight to worlds
afar,— worlds that thrilled with sorrow at the spectacle of human woe, and
rang with songs of gladness at the tidings of a ransomed soul. With un-
utterable delight the children of earth enter into the joy and the wisdom of
unfallen beings. They share the treasures of knowledge and understanding
gained through ages upon ages in contemplation of God's handiwork. With
undimmed vision they gaze upon the glory of creation,— suns and stars
and systems, all in their appointed order circling the throne of Deity. Upon
all things, from the least to the greatest, the Creator's name is written, and
in all are the riches of His power displayed.”—"The
Great Controversy,"
pages 675, 677, 678.
Lesson 3 — The Temptation and the Fall
OCTOBER 16, 1920
Daily Study Outline
1.
Read "Patriarchs and l'rophets," pages
52-62.
2.
The temptation
Ques. 1-5
3.
God's questions
Ques. 6-9
4.
Prediction made to the woman
Ques. 10-12
5.
Curses and blessings
Ques. 13-15
6.
The loss of Eden
Ques. 16,17
7.
Review the lesson.
Questions
1.
How was a suggestion of doubt brought to our first
parents? Gen. 3: 1. Note 1.
2.
What did the woman reply to the tempter? Verses 2,
3.
Note 2.
10
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
3.
What bold lie did the serpent then tell? Verses 4, 5.
Note 3.
4.
What was it that the woman "saw"? Verse 6, first
part. Note 4.
5.
What did the woman then do? Verse 6, last part.
6.
How did the man and the woman show their sense of
guilt? Verses 8, 10.
7.
What pointed question did Jehovah then ask the man?
Verse 11.
8.
How did Adam try to excuse his sin? Verse 12.
9.
What did the woman say to excuse herself? Verse 13.
Note 5.
10.
What curse was pronounced upon the serpent? Verse
14. Note 6.
11.
In the sentence pronounced upon the serpent, what
promise of redemption for man is implied? Verse 15. Note 7.
12.
What prediction was then made regarding the future
motherhood of the world? Verse 16. Note 8.
13.
What sentence was pronounced upon the man? Verses
17-19. Note 9.
14.
Was this curse pronounced upon the earth as an evil,
or as a blessing in disguise? Note 10.
15.
What provision did God make for their clothing?
Why was this necessary? Verse 21. Note 11.
16.
What sad record closes the story of man's Eden home?
Verses 22-24. Note 12.
17.
Why were the man and the woman driven from Eden?
Verse 24, last part. Note 13.
Notes
1.
"It was distrust of God's goodness, disbelief of His word, and rejec-
tion of His authority, that made our first parents transgressors, and that
brought into the world a knowledge of evil. It was this that opened the
door to every species of falsehood and
error."-"Education," page 25.
As "faith is the key of knowledge," and is the essential preliminary to
our salvation, so doubt is the first step in the way of transgression.
2.
"Eve was surprised and startled as she thus seemed to hear the echo
of her thoughts. But the serpent continued, in a musical voice, with subtle
praise of her surpassing loveliness ; and his words were not displeasing.
Instead of fleeing from the spot, she lingered wonderingly to hear a serpent
speak. Had she been addressed by a being like the angels, her fears would
have been excited; but she had no thought that the fascinating serpent
could become the medium of the fallen
foe."-"Patriarchs
and
Prophets,"
page 54-
3.
"By partaking of this tree, he declared, they would attain to a more
exalted sphere of existence, and enter a broader field of knowledge. He
himself had eaten of the forbidden fruit, and as a result had acquired the
power of speech. And he insinuated that the Lord jealously desired to
withhold it from them, lest they should be exalted to equality with Himself.
It was because of its wonderful properties, imparting wisdom and power,
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
11
that He had prohibited them from tasting or even touching it. The tempter
intimated that the divine warning was not to be actually fulfilled; it was
designed merely to intimidate them. How could it be possible for them to
die? Had they not eaten of the tree of life? God had been seeking to pre-
vent them from reaching a nobler development, and finding greater hap-
piness."—
lb.
4.
The woman
"saw"
what the tempter wished her to see. She had, for
the time being, become really deceived by the evil one, and thought she saw
the truth of what he suggested to her mind. As she had yielded to his sug-
gestion, the temptation had become to her a species of hypnotism; and
hypnotism in its varied forms is of the devil.
"It is not God's purpose that any human being should yield his mind
and will to the control of another, becoming a passive instrument in his
hands. . . . The theory of mind controlling mind was originated by Satan,
to introduce himself as the chief worker, to put human philosophy where
divine philosophy should be. Of all the errors that are finding acceptance
among professedly Christian people, none is a more dangerous deception,
none more certain to separate man from God, than is this."—"Ministry
of
Healing," pages 242, 243.
5.
It is evident that this excuse, if valid, would throw the whole respon-
sibility for sin back upon the Creator. He had given Adam a woman that
led him into sin ! The woman laid the blame on the serpent. This disposi-
tion to seek an excuse for sin, is a true symptom of the carnal mind ; and
as l6ng as this disposition to excuse sin is present, one has not experienced
real repentance.
"The spirit of self-justification originated in the father of lies; it was
indulged by our first parents as soon as they yielded to the influence of
Satan, and has been exhibited by all the sons and daughters of Adam."—
"Patriarchs and Prophets," page 58.
6.
"Since it had been employed as Satan's medium, the serpent was to
share the visitation of divine judgment. From the most beautiful and ad-
mired of the creatures of the field, it was to become the most groveling and
detested of them all, feared and hated by both man and beast."—
Ib.
It is interesting to note, in this connection, that in the rocks of many
countries have been found fossil skeletons of reptiles, or "serpents," which
show that these creatures had large wings, rendering them capable of easy,
graceful flight, and that, moreover, they possessed much larger brains in
proportion to the size of their bodies than most animals now have,— far
more than any reptiles of to-day. The scientific name given to this fossil
reptile is
Pterodactyl.
An account of it can be found in any good dictionary
or encyclopedia.
7.
"This sentence, uttered in the hearing of our first parents, was to
them a promise. While it foretold war between man and Satan, it declared
that the power of the great adversary would finally be broken. . . . When
Satan heard that enmity should exist between himself and the woman, and
between his seed and her seed, he knew that his work of depraving human
nature would be interrupted; that by some means man would be enabled to
resist his power."—
Id., pages 65, 66.
8.
"In the creation, God had made her [Eve] the equal of Adam. Had
they remained obedient to God — in harmony with His great law of love --
they would ever have been in harmony with each other; but sin had
brought discord, and now their union could be maintained and harmony
preserved only by submission on the part of the one or the other. Eve had
been the first in transgression ; and she had fallen into temptation by sepa-
rating from her companion, contrary to the divine direction. It was by her
solicitation that Adam sinned, and she was now placed in subjection to her
husband. Had the principles enjoined in the law of God been cherished by
the fallen race, this sentence, though growing out of the results of sin,
would have proved a blessing to them ; but man's abuse of the supremacy
thus given him, has too often rendered the lot of woman very bitter, and
made her life a burden."—
Id., pares 58, 55,
12
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
9.
"Under the curse of sin, all nature was to witness to man of the
character and results of rebellion against God. When God made man, He
made him ruler over the earth and all living creatures. So long as Adam
remained loyal to Heaven, all nature was in subjection to him. But when
he rebelled against the divine law, the inferior creatures were in rebellion
against his rule. Thus the Lord, in His great mercy, would show men the
sacredness of His law, and lead them, by their own experience, to see the
danger of setting it aside, even in the slightest degree.
"And the life of toil and care which was henceforth to be man's lot was
appointed in love. It was a discipline rendered needful by his sin, to place
a check upon the indulgence of appetite and passion, to develop habits of
self-control. It was a part of God's great plan for man's recovery from the
ruin and degradation of sin."—
Id., pages 59, 60.
10.
"Those who regard work as a curse, attended though it be with weari-
ness and pain, are cherishing an error. The rich often look down with
contempt upon the working classes ; but this is wholly at variance with
God's purpose in creating man. What are the possessions of even the most
wealthy, in comparison with the heritage given to the lordly Adam? Yet
Adam was not to be idle. Our Creator, who understands what is for man's
happiness, appointed Adam his work. The true joy of life is found only by
the working men and women. The angels are diligent workers ; they are
the ministers of God to the children of men. The Creator
has
prepared no
place for the stagnating practice of indolence."—
Id., page 50.
11.
"The atmosphere, once so mild and uniform in temperature, was now
subject to marked changes, and the Lord mercifully provided them with a
garment of skins as a protection from the extremes of heat and cold."—
Id., page 61.
12.
"As they witnessed, in drooping flower and falling leaf, the first signs
of decay, Adam and his companion mourned more 'deeply than men now
mourn over their dead. The death of the frail, delicate flowers was indeed
a cause of sorrow ; but when the goodly trees cast off their leaves, the scene
brought vividly to mind the stern fact that death is the portion of every
living thing."—
Id., page 62.
13.
"Adam and Eve had chosen the knowledge of evil ; and if they ever
regained the position they had lost, they must regain it under the unfavor-
able conditions they had brought upon themselves. No longer were they to
dwell in Eden ; for in its perfection it could not teach them the lessons
which it was now essential for them to learn. In unutterable sadness they
bade farewell to their beautiful surroundings, and went forth to dwell upon
the earth, where rested the curse of
sin."—"Education," pages 25, 26.
Lesson 4 — Creation Not Now Going On
OCTOBER
23, 1920
Daily Study Outline
1.
Read "Ministry of Healing," pages 409-
438.
2.
The Creator and His worship
Ques. 1-3
3.
The memorial of a completed creation Ques. 4-6
4.
How all things are upheld
Ques. 7-9
5.
A wonderful prophecy
Ques. 10-12
6.
Scoffers
Ques. 13,14
7.
Review the lesson.
Questions
1.
In the time of the Judgment, whom are the people of
all the world called upon to worship? Rev. 14: 7.
2.
What does such a message imply?
Answer:
That the
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
13
people of the earth have to a great extent ceased to recognize
and worship the Creator in the true sense.
3.
What widespread error is largely responsible for the
people's failure to worship God in the true way? Note 1.
4.
Why are we under obligation to worship Jehovah?
Ps. 100: 3; Isa. 64:8. Note 2.
5.
What institution has been given us as the sign or
memorial of this eternal obligation? Ex. 31: 13, 16, 17; Ezek.
20: 20.
6.
At the institution of the Sabbath, what shows that the
work of creation in the earth was then completed? Gen. 2: 3;
Ex. 20: 8-11. Note 3.
7.
What further statement shows that the creation of this
world is a completed work, not a process now
going
on? Heb.
4: 3, 10. Note 4.
8.
What is God's present relationship to His universe?
Heb. 1: 3; Col. 1: 17; Isa. 40: 26.
9.
What did Jesus say on this subject? John 5: 17.
Note 5.
10.
How else does the Bible express God's continued ac-
tive presence in sustaining the things He has made? Neh.
9: 6; Ps. 104: 27, 28. Note 6.
11.
What argument will scoffers use in the last days to
deny the coming of Christ? 2 Peter 3: 4. Note 7.
12.
What historical fact do these scoffers overlook? Verses
5, 6. Note 8.
13.
Unless scoffers and perverters of Bible teaching re-
ceive the gospel, what will be their end? Matt. 24: 38, 39.
14.
What exhortation is given to believers in the last
days? Luke 21: 34-36.
Notes
1.
The world-wide spread of the evolution doctrine has without doubt
led many people into false views of creation, and therefore into failure to
worship God as the Creator of heaven and earth. In brief, this doctrine
leaches that millions of years were required for the evolution of the earth
from chaos, the days of creation being vast, indefinite periods of time; and
attributes to an ascending line of germs, mollusks, and quadrupeds, the
evolution of man into his present state of intelligence and being. Although
individuals
here
and there still refuse to accept this theory of the origin of
things, this doctrine in one form or another is to-day taught in the larger
part of the institutions of learning throughout the world. Surely it is ap-
propriate in a time like this for God to bid His faithful people
give
the
message of Rev. 14: 7.
2.
Because God has made us, and still sustains our life, we are under
everlasting obligation to worship and serve Him. This prime fact is the
foundation of all our obligations to God or to our fellow men, the basis of
all moral obligation. We are obliged to love our fellow man, for he too was
created by our God. Very appropriately a memorial or reminder of this
obligation and relationship becomes the "seal of God"-- the Sabbath.
14
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
3.
The evolution doctrine denies that there ever was such an event as we
mean by creation; it affirms that the present order of nature is merely the
last stage in a
long
drawn out process during which only the present forces
of nature have operated. Thus the Sabbath, as the memorial of a
completed
creation at a definite point of time in the past, is wholly meaningless if the
teachings of evolution be true. In short, the Sabbath is an everlasting pro;
test against any such theory of the origin of things as that taught by the
doctrine of evolution.
4.
As regards this world, God's work of creation is completed. For 'the
works were finished from the foundation of the world.' But His energy is
still exerted in upholding the objects of His creation."—"Patriarchs
and
Prophets," page 115.
The primary meaning of "rest," used in Genesis 2, in the fourth com-
mandment, and in Hebrews 4: 10, confirms the fact that the work of crea-
tion ended at the close of the sixth day. The first definition of "rest" in
any dictionary is, to cease activity, to stop doing what one is engaged in.
This idea is retained in the phrase, "I rest here," used by lawyers when
they have gone as far in their argument at court as they desire. The
Creator was not weary from labor; but having completed the work of
creation, He rested from all His work.
5.
"Many teach that matter possesses vital power,— that certain prop-
erties are imparted to matter, and it is then left to act through its own
inherent energy; and that the operations of nature are conducted in har-
mony with fixed laws, with which God Himself cannot interfere. This is
false science, and is not sustained by the Word of God. Nature is the
servant of her Creator. God does not annul His laws, or work contrary to
them; but He is continually using them as His instruments. Nature testi-
fies of an intelligence, a presence, an active energy, that works in and
through her laws. There is in nature the continual working of the Father
and the Son. Christ says, 'My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.'
"—
Id., page 114.
The very presence of active energy in the world is one evidence that
the power of God constantly upholds and keeps active the works of creation.
This energy is not God, as some teach, but it is an evidence that His power
is as active to maintain as it was to create all things.
6.
"It is not because the mechanism that has once been set in motion
continues to act by its own inherent energy, that the pulse beats, and breath
follows breath; but every breath, every pulsation of the heart; is an evidence
of the all-pervading care of Him in whom 'we live, and move, and have our
being.' It is not because of inherent power that year by year the earth
produces her bounties, and continues her motion around the sun.; The hand
of God guides the planets, and keeps them in position in their orderly march
through the heavens. . .. It is through His power that vegetation flourishes,
that the leaves appear and the flowers bloom. . . . Every living creature,
from the smallest insect up to man, is daily dependent upon His prOvidential
care."—
Id., page 115.
7.
This is the argument of the evolutionist. If creation is it gradual
Process and still going on, why should not all things continue to go on as
they always have? Being opposed to the idea. that God created each thing
in the beginning by His word, in a single act, on a single day, the evolu-
tionist, cannot accept the supremacy of a personal God over His own works,
nor the idea that Christ will some day suddenly arrest the course of nature
and make all things new.
8.
One leading feature of evolutionary teaching is the denial of a uni-
versal Flood. If the evolutionist accepted the Bible record of the Deluge,
it would upset his theory that the violent changes in the earth brought
about at that time were caused, not by a great upheaval in nature in a
year's time, but by a gradual process of millions of years — the time meas-
ured by the same rate at which changes in the face of nature are going on
now. Peter says that the scoffers of the last days are willingly, if not will-
fully, ignorant of the Flood, and therefore of the truth that the earth is to
perish again by fire.
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
15
Lesson
5
— The Literal Week-
P
OCTOBER 30, 1920
Daily Study Outline
1. Read "Patriarchs and Prophets," pages
111-116.
Creation out of nothing
In the beginning
The evolution theory
Geology true and false
The appropriateness of the Sabbath
Review the lesson.
Ques. 1-3
Ques. 4,5
Ques. 6,7
Ques. 8,9
Ques.10
Questions
1.
How much are we told regarding the manner in which
creation was brought about? Ps. 33: 6, 9; Gen. 1: 3.
2.
Review the leading facts as recorded in Genesis 1.
3.
Was the substance of which the world is composed ac-
tually called into existence at this time? John 1: 3; Heb.
11: 3. See note 2, lesson 1.
4.
What was the condition of the earth when first created
and before the various forms of life appeared upon it?
Gen. 1: 2.
5.
Why do we know that these
days
of creation were real,
literal days? Verses 5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31. Note 1.
6.
What is the modern evolutionary theory regarding the
first chapter of Genesis?
Answer:
That this record is merely
a myth or a beautiful poem stated in the crude folk lore of a
very ignorant people in an unscientific age.
7.
Why is false teaching on the first chapter of Genesis
said to be "infidelity in its most insidious and hence most
dangerous form"? Note 2.
8.
Why do most people of to-day believe these false ideas
regarding the origin of things? 2 Peter 3: 5, 6. Note 3.
9.
Is there any particular geological deposit in any part
of the world that could not have been formed at the time of
the Flood?
Answer: No; absolutely none.
Note 4.
10.
Show how the Sabbath day, of twenty-four hours, is a
fitting memorial of the creation of the world in six literal
days, but absurd as the memorial of a development over
millions of years. Gen. 2:2, 3; Ex. 20: 8-11. Note 5.
Notes
addition to the record that each day had its evening and morning,
the history of the institution of the Sabbath, as well as the words employed
in commanding its observance, constitutes an unquestionable proof that the
first week of time, like every week since, consisted of seven literal days.
The Sabbath is commanded because God was occupied in creating during six
16
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
days, and on the seventh He ceased this work, rested, "took delight" in
what He had made, and commanded man to rest as He had done.
"This reason appears beautiful and forcible when we understand the
days of creation to be literal. The first six days of each week are given to
man for labor, because God employed the same period of the first week in
the work of creation. On the seventh day man is to refrain from labor, in
commemoration of the Creator's rest.
"But the assumption that the events of the first week required thousands
upon thousands of years, strikes directly at the foundation of the fourth
commandment. It represents the Creator as commanding men to observe
'the week of literal days in commemoration of vast, indefinite periods. This
is unlike His method' of dealing with His creatures. It makes indefinite and
obscure that which He has made very plain. It is infidelity in its most
insidious and hence most dangerous form ; its real character is so disguised
that it is held and taught by men who profess to believe the
Bible."—"Pa-
triarchs and Prophets," page 11
0
-
2.
One of the best ways to judge a theory is by its fruits. What has been
the result of the widespread acceptance of the teaching that the days of .
' creation were long periods of time? Undoubtedly its general acceptance
was one of the largest factors in preparing the way for the evolution doc-
trine. For a generation or more, the teaching prevailed almost universally
throughout the civilized world, that life in all its various forms had existed
for long ages before man appeared, and that these long periods
probably
were what were meant by the "days" of creation, as given in the first
chapter of the Bible. True, any detailed comparison of these "ages" of
geology with the "days" of creation was readily seen to be unsatisfactory
or impossible ; but no matter. For over half a century, this doctrine was
taught in most of the colleges and theological seminaries as by far the best
way of "reconciling" science and religion. Is it any wonder that a soil
thus prepared has grown a luxuriant crop of learned infidelity?
3.
Considered historically and logically, the evolution doctrine rests
chiefly upon supposed facts discovered in the rocks, showing that the earth
had slowly formed out of chaos during long ages of time. These ideas
about geological "ages" rested essentially on the denial that there ever was
a universal flood. A belief in the popular geology and a belief in a universal
flood cannot be held by the same mind, for they contradict each other. This
makes it easy to see why "scoffers" in the last days are willingly ignorant
about the Flood, as Peter declared they would be.
4.
All the leading facts of the science of geology are easily understood
and explained, if we allow the possibility of the universal Deluge, as recorded
in the Bible. Multitudes of the standard puzzles of science become plain and
simple if we accept this record.
''Apart from Bible history, geology can prove nothing. Those who rea-
son so confidently upon its discoveries, have no adequate conception of the
size of men, animals, and trees before the Flood, or of the great changes
which then took place. Relics found in the earth do give evidence of condi-
tions differing in many respects from the present; but the time when these
conditions existed can be learned only from the inspired record. In the
history of the Flood, inspiration has explained that which geology alone
could never fathom. In the days of Noah, men, animals, and trees, many
times larger than now exist, were buried, and thus preserved as an evidence
to later generations that the antediluvians perished by a flood. God designed
that the discovery of these things should establish faith in inspired history ;
but men, with their vain reasoning, fall into the same error as did the
people before the Flood,— the things which God gave them as a benefit, they
turn into a curse by making a wrong use of them."—"Patriarchs
and
.
Prophets," page 112.
5.
The evolution theory has no explanation of the origin of sin, except
to make it an essential part of nature itself, something that God Himself
could not avoid when creating man. If man was not created perfect, but
was slowly evolved from the lower forms of life, then what we call sin did
not originate by the wrong choice of the first man, but must be the result
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
17
of principles working in nature long ages before man existed. Hence, if
' there is any being in the universe responsible for moral evil, that being
must be the Creator Himself, and it is not man's fault, but his misfortune,
that he is naturally a sinner. Thus does the evolution theory dishonor God.
Lesson 6 The Growth of Apostasy
NOVEMBER
6, 1920
Daily Study Outline
1.
Read "Patriarchs and Prophets," pages
71-89.
2.
The first two brothers
fines. 1,2
3.
Their two offerings
Ques. 3-5
4.
Cain's great sin
Ques. 6-8
5.
The age before the Flood
gates. 9-12
6.
The growing apostasy
Ques. 13-16
7.
Review the lesson.
Questions
1.
What were the occupations of the two sons of Adam?
Gen. 4: 2, last part.
2.
How much did each of these brothers know of the plan
of redemption? Note 1.
3.
What kind of offering did Cain bring? Verse 3. What
did this represent? Note 2.
4.
What was Abel's offering? Verse 4. What did it rep-
resent? Note 3.
5.
How did God regard these two offerings? Verse 4, last
part; verse 5.
6.
What was the outcome of the difference between the
two brothers? Verse 8.
7.
Give the conversation between the Lord and Cain.
Verses 9-12. -
8.
Though Cain's sin merited death, what sentence instead
was pronounced upon him'? Verses 13-15. Note 4.
9.
What distinction was brought about between the right-
eous and the wicked? Verse 26. Note 5.
10.
How long did Adam live in the midst of this growing
apostasy? Gen. 5: 5. Note 6.
11.
Tell why the age before the Flood was not one of ig-
norance and barbarism. Note 7.
12.
Give the brief but sublime record of the life of Enoch.
Verses 21-24.
13.
What message did Enoch give in that age of apostasy?
Jude 14, 15. Note 8.
14.
How did this growing apostasy threaten to become
universal? Gen. 6: 1, 2.
18
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
15.
How much further time of probation was to be granted
to the people of that age? Verse 3.
16.
Why does the Lord bear so long with men? 2 Peter
3: 9, last part.
Notes
1.
"These brothers were tested, as Adam had been tested before them, to
prove whether they would believe and obey the word of God. They were
acquainted with the provision made for the salvation of man, and under-
stood the system of offerings which God had ordained. They knew that in
these offerings they were to express faith in the Saviour whom the offerings
typified, and at the same time to acknowledge their total dependence on
Him for pardon ; and they knew that by thus conforming to the divine plan
for their redemption, they were giving proof of their obedience to the will
of God. Without the shedding of blood, there could be no remission of sin ;
and they were to show their faith
in
the blood of Christ as the promised
atonement, by offering the firstlings of the flock in sacrifice. Besides this,
the first fruits of the earth were to be presented before the Lord as a thank
offering."—"Patriarchs and Prophets," page 71.
2.
"Cain came before God with murmuring and infidelity in his heart in
regard to the promised sacrifice and the necessity of the sacrificial offerings.
His gift expressed no penitence for sin. He felt, as many now feel, that it
would be an acknowledgment of weakness to follow the exact plan marked
out by God, of trusting his salvation wholly to the atonement of the prom-
ised Saviour. He chose the course of self-dependence. He would come in
his own merits. He would not bring the lamb, and mingle its blood with his
offering, but would present
his
fruits, the products of
his
labor. He pre-
sented his offering as a favor done to God, through which he expected to
secure the divine approval. Cain obeyed in building an altar, obeyed in
bringing a sacrifice ; but he rendered only a partial obedience. The essential
part, the recognition of the need of a Redeemer, was left out."—
Id., page 72.
3.
"Abel grasped the great principles of redemption. He saw himself a
sinner, and he saw sin, and its penalty death, standing between his soul and
communion with God. He brought the slain victim, the sacrificed life, thus
acknowledging the claims of the law that had been transgressed. Through
the shed blood he looked to the future sacrifice, Christ dying on the cross of
Calvary ; and trusting in the atonement that was there to be made, he had
the witness that he was righteous, and his offering accepted."—
Id.,
page
72.
4.
"Notwithstanding that Cain had by his crimes merited the sentence
of death, a merciful Creator still spared his life, and granted 'him oppor-
tunity for repentance. But Cain lived only to harden his heart, to encour-
age rebellion against the divine authority, and to become the head of a line
of bold, abandoned sinners. This one apoState, led on by Satan, became a
tempter to others, and his example and influence exerted their demoralizing
power, until the earth became so corrupt and filled with violence as to call
for its destruction.
"In sparing the life of the first murderer, God presented before the
whole universe a lesson bearing upon the great controversy. The dark his-
tory of Cain and his descendants was an illustration of what would have
been the result of permitting the sinner to live on forever,
to
carry out his
rebellion against God. The forbearance of God only rendered the wicked
more bold and defiant in their iniquity. Fifteen centuries after the sentence
pronounced upon Cain, the universe witnessed the fruition of his influence
and example, in the crime and pollution that flooded the earth. It was made
manifest that the sentence of death pronounced upon the fallen race for the
transgression of God's law was both just and merciful. The longer men
lived in sin, the more abandoned they became. The divine sentence, cutting
short a
career
of unbridled iniquity, and freeing the world from the influence
of those who had become
hardened in
rebellion, was a blessing rather
than
a curse."
—
Id., page 78.
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
19
54"The faithful had worshiped God before; but as men increased, the
distinction between the two classes became more marked. There was an
open profession of loyalty to God on the part of one, as there was of con-
tempt and disobedience on the part of the other. . . .
"For some time the two classes remained separate. The race of Cain,
spreading from the place of their first settlement, dispersed over the plains
and valleys where the children of Seth had dwelt ; and the latter, in order to
escape from their contaminating influence, withdrew to the mountains, and
there made their home. So long as this separation continued, they main-
tained the worship of God in its purity. But in the lapse of time they ven-
tured, little by little, to mingle with the inhabitants of the valleys. This
association was productive of the worst results."—
Id., pages 80, 81.
_7
6.
"Adam's life was one of sorrow, humility, and contrition. When he
left Eden, the thought that he must die thrilled him with horror. He was
first made acquainted with the reality of death in the human family, when
Cain, his first-born son, became the murderer of his brother. Filled with
the keenest remorse for his own sin, and doubly bereaved in the death of
Abel and the rejection of Cain, Adam was bowed down with anguish. He
witnessed the wide-spreading
-
corruption that was finally to cause the destruc-
tion of the world by a flood; and though the sentence of death pronounced
upon him by his Maker had at first appeared terrible, yet after beholding
for nearly a thousand years the results of sin, he felt that it was merciful
in God to bring to an end a life of suffering and sorrow."—
Id., page 82.
7.
"Notwithstanding the wickedness of the antediluvian world, that age
was not, as has often been supposed, an era of ignorance and barbarism.
The people were granted the opportunity of reaching a high standard of
moral and intellectual attainment. They possessed great physical and
mental strength, and their advantages for acquiring both religious and
scientific knowledge were unrivaled. It is a mistake to suppose that because
they lived to a great age their minds matured late; their mental powers
were early developed, and those who cherished the fear of God and lived in
harmony with His will, continued to increase in knowledge and wisdom
throughout their life. Could illustrious scholars of our time be placed in
contrast with men of the same age who lived before the Flood, they would
appear as greatly inferior in mental as in physical strength. As the years
of man have decreased, and his physical strength has diminished, so his
mental capacities have lessened. There are men who now apply themselves
to study during a period of from twenty to fifty years, and the world is
filled with admiration of their attainments. But how limited are these
acquirements in comparison with those of men whose mental and physical
powers were developing for centuries ! . . .
"The antediluvians were without books, they had no written records ;
but with their great physical and mental vigor, they had strong memories,
able to grasp and to retain that which was communicated to them, and in
turn to transmit it unimpaired to their posterity. And for hundreds of
Years there were seven generations living upon the earth contemporaneously,
having the opportunity of consulting together, and profiting each by the
knowledge and experience of all.
"The advantages enjoyed by men of that age to gain a knowledge of God
through His works have never been equaled since. And so far from being
an era of religious darkness, that was an age of great light. All the world
had opportunity to receive instruction from Adam, and those who feared
the Lord had also Christ and angels for their teachers. And they had a
silent witness to the truth, in the garden of God, which for so many cen-
turies remained among men. fAt the cherubim-guarded gate of Paradise the
glory of God was revealed, and hither came the first worshipers. Here their
altars were reared, and their offerings presented. It was here that Cain
and Abel had brought their sacrifices, and that God had descended to com-
municate with them."
Id., pages
8
2-84.`
What a contrastfact was the enlightenment of the age before the
Flood to the ignorance and barbarism attributed to primitive man by teachers
pf evolution !
20
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
8. "Enoch became a preacher of righteousness, making known to the
people what God had revealed to him. Those who feared the Lord sought
out this holy man, to share his instruction and his prayers. He labored
publicly also, bearing God's messages to all who would hear the words of
warning. His labors were not restricted to the Sethites. In the land where
Cain had sought to flee from the divine presence, the prophet of God made
known the wonderful scenes that had passed before his vision. 'Behold,' he
declared, 'the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints, to execute
judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all
their ungodly deeds.' . . .
"The power of God that wrought with His servant was felt by those who
heard. Some gave heed to the warning, and renounced their sins; but the
multitudes mocked at the solemn message, and went on more boldly in their
evil ways. The servants of God are to bear a similar message to the world
in the last days, and it will also be received with unbelief and mockery.
The antediluvian world rejected the warning words of him who walked with
God. So will the last generation make light of the warnings of the Lord's
. messengers."-A
Id., page 86.
Lesson
7
— The Flood
NOVEMBER
13, 1920
Daily Study Outline
1.
Read 'Patriarchs and Prophets," pages
90-104.
2.
The preparations
3.
Its universality
4.
Where the water came from
S. The time of its duration
6.
Its close
7.
Review the lesson.
Ques. 1-4
Ques. 5-7
Ques. 8-10'
Ques. 11, 12
Ques. 13-17
Questions
1.
Why did God destroy the world by a flood? Gen. 6:
11-13. Note 1.
2.
What instruction did the Lord give Noah? Verses
14-16.
3.
For what classes of animals was Noah to make pro-
vision in the ark? Gen. 6: 20; 7: 9. Note 2.
4.
How ample was the provision for the care of so many
animals? Gen. 6: 14-16.
5.
How completely did God say He would destroy the
plants and animals on the earth? Gen. 7: 4, margin.
6.
Tell how, this work of destruction was really done.
Verses 19-23.
7.
When did Noah go into the ark? Verse 11.
8.
How long was it after he entered the ark before the
Flood came? Verse 10.
9.
What agencies besides the rain were employed to pro-
duce the Flood? Gen. 6: 17; 7: 11; Ps. 104: 5-7, 9;
Job P;
8, 11. Note 3.
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
21
10.
Is there water enough now on the earth to cover it?
Note 4.
11.
How long did it take for the Flood to reach its highest
point? Gen. 7: 12, 17.
12.
How long did the waters prevail upon the earth?
Gen. 7:24; 8:3.
13.
When was the land finally left dry? Gen. 8: 14; Ps.
104: 8. Note 5.
14.
How long a period, then, is covered from the begin-
ning of the Flood until 'the land was dry? Compare Gen.
7:11 with 8:14.
15.
What expression seems to indicate a tidal action both
in the coming of the Flood and in the drying up of the
waters? Gen. 8: 3, margin. Note 6.
16.
What covenant did God make with Noah after the
Flood? Gen. 9: 12-17.
17.
What facts does the study of this lesson establish?
Note 7.
Notes
1.
"The world was in its infancy ; yet iniquity had become so deep and
widespread that God could no longer bear with it; and He said, 'I will
destroy man whom I have created, from the face of the earth.' He declared
that His Spirit should not always strive with the guilty race. If they did
not cease to pollute with their sins the world and its rich treasures, He
would blot them from His creation, and would destroy the things with which
He had delighted to bless them ; He would sweep away the beasts of the
field, and the vegetation which furnished such an abundant supply of food,
and would transform the fair earth into one vast scene of desolation and
ruin."—"Patriarchs
and Prophets," page 92.
2.
"Suddenly a silence fell upon the mocking throng. Beasts of every
description, the fiercest as well as the most gentle, were seen coming from
mountain and forest, and quietly making their way toward the ark. A
noise as of a rushing wind was heard, and lo, birds were flocking from all
directions, their numbers darkening the heavens, and in perfect order they
passed to the ark. Animals obeyed the command of God, while men were
disobedient."—
Id., pages 97, 98.
, 3. It is a very common thing, in the rocks formed by the Flood, to find
great numbers of layers or beds containing land forms alternating with
others containing the remains of sea or fresh water animals. In various
places in Europe and America, there are many beds containing coal forme'd
by land plants, alternating with an equal number of beds containing shell-
fish, or salt or fresh water forms. But the plants in all the beds are much
alike, and the various water animals are found to be much alike. These
things seem to indicate an alternate moving of the waters back and forth,
much like the ebb and flow of the tide, only on an enormous scale. Indeed,
an abnormal tidal action seems to have been one of the chief fictors in the
work of the Flood. Note especially the references in Job and the Psalms.
4. The average depth of the ocean is about 13,000 feet, and the average
height of the dry land is about 2,250 feet. Thus the ocean is nearly six
times as deep as the land is high, in general average; and as the ocean's
surface is about three times that of the land, there is nearly eighteen times
as much water below sea level as there is land above it. Accordingly, if all
the present dry land were to sink beneath the sea, the water would be
raised only a few hundred feet from its present level. Indeed, if the solid
22
SABBATH
SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
part of the earth were made into a perfect sphere — that is, if all the
earth's inequalities were smoothed out — the water of the ocean would cover
the entire earth to the depth of 1.56 miles, or nearly 9,000 feet.
Thus it is seen that the old -objection about there not being enough water
to cover the earth, is based on ignorance of the facts. In reality, a very
slight disturbance of the present delicate balance of land and water would
be required to spill all the waters of the oceans over the land. Is it not a
striking manifestation of the watch-care of our Creator that the ocean keeps
so obediently within bounds as it has done ever since the Flood? "Hitherto
shalt thou come, but no further" (Job 38: 11), is the divine decree.'
5.
Psalm 104: 7, 8, American Revised Version, reads as follows :
"At Thy rebuke they [the waters]
fled ;
At the voice of Thy thunder they hasted away
(The mountains rose, the valleys sank down)
Unto the place which Thou hadst founded for them."
6.
The original Hebrew expression here used seems to indicate a "going
and returning" of the waters, as would be the case in the flood and ebb of
the enormous tides.
7.
The study of this lesson establishes the following facts:
a.
The Flood came as a special act of God.
b.
The Flood was universal.
c.
It was violent in cause and effect.
d.
The Flood was long enough to destroy all animal life outside the ark,
and violent enough to bury trees, plants, and animals
deep
in the earth.
e.
After the waters abated, bounds were set so they should never again
cover the earth in a flood.
f.
The rainbow is the token of God's promise never to bring another
universal flood.
Lesson
8
— The Effects of the Flood
NOVEMBER 20, 1920
Daily Study Outline
1.
Read "Patriarchs and Prophets," pages
105-110.
2.
The earth's previous condition '
Ques. 1, 2
3.
Changes in the atmosphere
gives. 3-5
4.
Change in climate -
Ques. 6-S
5.
The dispersion
Ques. 9, 10
6.
The dispersion of the animals
(flies. 11-13
7.
Review the lesson.
Questions
1.
How did God regard the earth after creating it?
Gen. 1: 31.
2.
What scriptures indicate that up to the time of the
Flood no rain had ever fallen? Gen. 2: 5, 6; Heb. 11: 7.
See note 6, lesson 2.
3.
After the Flood, what beautiful sight appeared for
the first time? Gen. 9: 14. Note 1.
4.
What assuring announcement did God make at this
time? Gen. 8: 22.
5.
What physical changes took place in the surface of the
earth at this time? Note 2.
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
23
•
6. What permission was given man respecting his food?
len. 9: 3-5. Note 3.
7.
How did God design that the earth should be repeopled
after the Flood? Gen. 9: 1; 8: 17.
8.
As time went on, what did the people try to do?
Gen. 11: 4.
9.
How did the Lord thwart their purpose? Verses 6-9.
Note 4.
10.
Show that animals are usually more obedient to in-
stinct than men are to the calls of God. Jer. 8: 7; Isa. 1: 3.
Note 5.
11.
What lesson does all creation teach us? Job 12: 7-9.
12.
How dependent are both man and animals upon the
Creator to-day? Verse 10.
13.
What practical lessons may we learn from the living
creatures about us? Prov. 6: 6-8; Matt. 6: 26. Note 6.
Notes
Scientists hold that the rainbow is produced by natural causes in har- -
mon
ith the laws of reflection and refraction of light, and that therefore
no special act of God was needed to produce it. The simple explanation is
that before the Flood, there was no rain to provide the falling drops of
water on which the sun's rays could act. It did require a special act of
God to start rain upon the earth at the time of the Flood ; and every time
the rain falls now and the bow appears, iteis a reminder to God (as He puts
it) of the Flood, and of His promise not to repeat
2.
"The entire surface of the earth was changed.. the Flood. A third
dreadful curse rested upon it in consequence of sin. As the water began to
subside, the hills and mountains were surrounded by a vast, turbid sea.
Everywhere were strewn the dead bodies of men and beasts. The Lord
would not permit these to remain to decompose and pollute the air, there-
fore He made of the earth a vast burial ground. A violent wind which was
caused to blow for the purpose of drying up the waters, moved them with
great force, in some instances even carrying away the tops of the mountains,
and heaping up trees, rocks, and earth above the bodies of the dead. . . .
"The earth presented an appearance of confusion and desolation impos-
sible to describe. The mountains, once so beautiful in their perfect sym-
metry, had become broken and irregular. Stones, ledges, and ragged rocks
were now scattered upon the surface of the earth. In many places, hills and
mountains had disappeared, leaving no trace where they once stood; and
plains had given place to mountain ranges. These changes were more
marked in some places than ire others. Where once had been earth's richest
treasures of gold, silver, and precious stones, were seen the heaviest marks
of the curse. And upon countries that were not inhabited, and those where
there had been the least crime, the curse rested more lightly."—
Id., pages
107, 108.
3.
"Before this time God had given man no permission to eat animal
food ; He intended that the race should subsist wholly upon the productions
of the earth ; but now that every green thing had been destroyed, He allowed
them to eat the flesh of the clean beasts that had been preserved in the
ark."—
Id., page 107.
"God saw that the ways of man were corrupt, and that he was disposed
to exalt himself proudly against his Creator, and to follow the inclinations
of his own heart. And He permitted that long-lived race to eat animal food
to shorten their sinful lives. Soon after the Flood the race began rapidly
24
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
to decrease in size, and in length of years. There was a class of very large
animals which perished at the Flood. God knew that the strength of man
would decrease, and these mammoth animals could not be controlled by
feeble
man."—"Spiritual Gifts," volume .4 Part One, page 121.
4.
"God had directed men to disperse throughout the earth, to replenish
and subdue it ; but these Babel-builders determined to keep their community
united in one body, and to found a monarchy that should eventually embrace
the whole earth. Thus their city would become the metropolis of a universal
empire ; its glory would command the admiration and homage of the world,
and render the founders illustrious. The magnificent tower, reaching to the
heavens, was intended to stand as a monument of the power and wisdom of
its builders, perpetuating their fame to the latest generations. . . . The
whole undertaking was designed to exalt still further the pride of its pro-
jectors, and to turn the minds of future generations away from God, and
lead them into
idolatry."—"Patriarchs and Prophets," page 119.
"Had this scheme of universal confederacy been permitted, it would have
demoralized the world in its infancy, and would have insured the perpetuity
of this apostasy through coming ages. But the Lord took the matter in
hand, and by thwarting this early scheme of a world federation, a con-
solidated humanity, He made it impossible for one great universal apostasy
to get control of the world. . . . God in His wisdom broke up that first
great apostasy and world federation, because it would have crushed out in-
dividual liberty and rendered the plan of the gospel a failure. But the
plans of God are accomplished in 'the fullness of time' ; and at last He gives
the race one chance to show what it can do, and what the natural results
of human solidarity must be. In the end of the ages, when human activity
and ingenuity have culminated in all that man can do, when we have reached
the climax of our boasted civilization, and the federation of the unregen-
erate race is at last accomplished, then God may allow this long-interrupted
Babel scheme to be renewed and let men have their way, to show before the
angels and the inhabitants of other worlds what human beings can and will
do apart from
Him."—"Back to the Bible," pages 21, 22.
5.
In many corners of the world, we find kinds of animals that present
a difficult problem, if we try to explain how their ancestors could have
found their way to these places without an overruling guidance. But a
study of the marvelous manifestations of instinct still seen in the journeys
made by birds of passage, some of which travel six or eight thousand miles
in a season, will lead us to see that a special form of instinct suited to the
"peculiar circumstances of these animals as they came forth from the ark on
the desolated earth, will easily account for the distribution of the animals
after the Flood. What we call "instinct" is only a convenient name for
traits implanted by the Creator. So far as the evil effects of sin have not
perverted them, the instincts of animals and plants are a visible display of
the response of nature to the laws of creation. As God has expressly com-
manded men to scatter abroad over the earth, we may well suppose that
this command was also given to the animals in the way of "instinct," and
that it was obeyed by them.
6.
"The ants teach lessons of patient industry, of perseverance in sur-
mounting obstacles, of providence for the future. And the birds are teachers
of the sweet lesson of trust. Our heavenly Father provides for them ; but
they must gather the food, they must build their nests, and rear their young.
Every moment they are exposed to_ enemies that seek to destroy them. Yet
how cheerily they go about their work! how full of joy are their little
songs.i. . . The eagle of the Alps is sometimes beaten down by the tempest
into the narrow defiles of the mountains. Storm clouds shut in this mighty
bird of the forest, their dark masses separating her from the sunny heights
where she has made her home. Her efforts to escape seem fruitless. She
dashes to and fro, beating the air with her strong wings, and waking the
mountain echoes with her cries. At length, with a note of triumph, she
darts upward, and, piercing the clouds, is once more in the clear sunlight,
with the darkness and tempest far beneath. So we may be surrounded with
difficulties, discouragement, and darkness. Falsehood, calamity, injustice,
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
25
shut Us in. There are clouds that we cannot dispel. We battle with cir-
cumstances in vain. There is one, and but one, way of escape. The mists
and fogs cling to the earth; beyond the clouds God's light is shining. Into
the sunlight of His presence we may rise on the wings of faith."--"Educa-
tion,"
pages 117-119.
Lesson
9
-LessOns from the Book of Nature
NOVEMBER 27, 1920
Daily Study Outline
1.
Rend "Ministry of Healing," pages 51-
58; "Education," pages 99-101.
2.
The large and the small
Rues. 1-3
3.
God's care for His creatures
Ques. 4,5
4.
Life only from life
Rues. 6,7
5.
"After its kind"
Rues. 3,9
6.
In the heavens above and in the earth
beneath
Rues. 10,11
7.
Review the lesson.
Questions
1.
What promise is given to those who seek for true knowl-
edge and understanding? Prov. 2: 1-5. Note 1.
2.
What may we learn from the larger aspects of nature?
Ps. 19: 1-4. Note 2.
3.
What may we learn from the minute things of nature?
Matt. 10: 29, 30; 6: 28-30. Note 3.
4.
How is God's care for His creatures expressed by the
psalmist? Ps. 145: 9, 15, 16.
5.
How early did God promise to implant in the human
race a revolt against the rule of evil? Gen. 3: 15. Note 4.
6.
How important are the lessons which we may still read
from nature?
Answer:
"While the Bible should hold the first
place in the education of children and youth, the book of na-
ture is next in importance."-"Counsels to
Teachers," page
185.
Note 5.
7.
What far-reaching scientific principle is recognized in
Christ's words to Nicodemus? John 3: 5. Note 6.
8.
What principle was ordained in the beginning regard-
ing the reproduction of plants and animals?
Answer:
That
each should reproduce others only "after its kind." Gen.
1: 11, 12, 20, 21, 24. Note 7.
9.
Since the work of creation was "finished from the foun-
dation of the world" (Heb. 4: 3), how is the present order of
nature maintained?
Answer:
The Creator's power is still
exercised in "upholding all things by the word of His power."
Heb. 1: 3. Note 8.
26
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
10.
What striking language is used by Isaiah to describe
the power and wisdom of the Creator? Isa. 40: 26.
11.
What witness is borne by the true science of geology?
Ps. 104: 6-9; 2 Peter 3: 6. Note 9.
Notes
•
1. "Whatever line of investigation we pursue, with a sincere purpose to
arrive at truth, we are brought in touch with the unseen, mighty Intelli-
gence that is working in and through
all."—"Education," page 14.
2.
"Upon all created things is
seen
the impress of the Deity. Nature
testifies of God. The susceptible mind, brought in contact with the miracle
and mystery of the universe, cannot but recognize the working of infinite
power. Not by its own inherent
energy
does the earth produce its bounties,
and year by year continue its motion around the sun. An unseen hand
guides the planets in their circuit of the heavens."—
Id., page 99.
3.
The science of chemistry and the wonders of the microscope have
shown us that all this is literally and scientifically true. One of the most
firmly settled of modern scientific truths is that the very
same Power
that
maintains in orderly array countless millions of suns, is also the
Power
that
cares for the molecules, atoms, and electrons of which our bodies and all
the rest of nature are composed.
"Perfection exists in the least as well as in the greatest of the works of
God. The hand that hung the worlds in space is the hand that fashions the
flowers of the field. Examine under the microscope the smallest and com-
monest of wayside blossoms, and note in all its parts the exquisite beauty
and completeness. So in the humblest lot true excellence may be found ; the
commonest tasks, wrought with loving faithfulness, are beautiful in God's
sight. Conscientious attention to the little things will make us workers
-
together with Him, and win for us His commendation who seeth and
knoweth all."—
Id., page 114.
4.
"This sentence, spoken in the hearing of our first parents, was to
them a promise. Before they heard of the thorn and the thistle, of the toil
and sorrow that must be their portion, or of the dust to which they must
return, they listened to words that could not fail of giving them hope. All
that had been lost by yielding to Satan could be regained through Christ."—
Id., page 27.
The book of nature may be called a
palimpsest
(Greek, "scraped again"),
or one of those ancient parchments written upon twice, the first writing
being scraped off to allow another writing. The parchments could be so
treated as to bring up again the original writing defaced by the erasure.
So the book of nature was written by God, then marred by the law of evil
and decay. But despite the defacing of sin, we may still look beneath and,
in all creation, read the original message of our Father's love.
5.
"The whole natural world is designed to be an interpreter of the
things of God. . . . The most effective way to teach the heathen who know
not God, is through His works. In this way, far more readily than by any
other method, they can be made to realize the difference between their idols,
the works of their own hands, and the true God, the Maker of heaven and
earth. . . . There is a simplidity and purity in these lessons direct from
nature that makes them of the highest value to others besides the heathen."
—"Counsels to Teachers," page 186.
"The poet and the naturalist have many things to say about nature, but
it is the Christian who enjoys the beauty of the earth with the highest ap-
preciation, because he recognizes his Father's handiwork, and perceives His
love in flower and shrub and tree."—"Steps
to Christ," page 91.
"God designed that nature should be to man a lesson book to guide him
from the path of disobedience back to God. There is need of a close study
of nature, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. . . . He would have nature
counteract the attempts made to divorce science from Bible Christianity."—
Mrs. E. G, Whits, itt, the
"Youth'§ inOtrYCtOr," May
6, 1897.
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
27
6.
One of the most important discoveries of modern science is that
physical life cannot now be produced except from something already alive.
It is life only that can beget life. If there is no germ, no
egg,
no seed,
there can be no new form of life. It is because of a practical belief in this
great truth that the housewife cooks or sterilizes her fruit and puts it up
in germ-proof containers. Since physical life is not now produced from
the non-living anywhere on earth, is this not proof that there must have
been a real creation at the beginning to produce the first of each of all the
various forms of physical life now existing on the earth? This does not,
however, preclude the special act of God in restoring life that has been lost,
as in raising the dead to life.
In like manner also, only spiritual life can beget spiritual life. God is
spirit, and the only source of spiritual life. When Adam sinned, he for-
feited both his physical and his spiritual inheritance ; but his physical life
was spared in mercy to give him opportunity for accepting voluntarily the
renewal of spiritual life, that is, spiritual re-creation. Hence it is that
Paul affirms that "if any man be in Christ, he is a
new creature"
(2 Cor.
5: 17), and that "in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything,
nor uncircumcision, but a 'new
creation"
(Gal. 6: 15, margin). It is there-
fore clear that while material creation was completed at the beginning, yet
new spiritual creation takes place in every genuine conversion of the sinner
to Christ — he is born directly from above. Spiritual re-creation is as much
a direct act- of God as was the original creation of material things. The
"old man" dies, the "new man" is made alive in Christ Jesus.
7.
It is a remarkable and very important fact, that in the light of all
our modern discoveries, especially in the light of the wonderful facts of
. heredity known as Mendel's law, each form of plant and of animal
still
reproduces only "after its kind."
Modern biology thus confirms the truth
and accuracy of the first chapter of Genesis.
8.
The Lord did not merely start the world running, afterward letting it
run itself independently of Him. The Creator's living energy is still mo-
mently exercised in "upholding all things by the word of His power." This
may be illustrated' by the electric dynamo generating power to run a fac-
tory. It requires the same continuous supply of power to keep the machinery
going as it did to start it.
9.
These beautiful words of the psalmist are evidently describing the
Flood. "In the days of Noah, men, animals, and trees, many times larger
than now exist, were buried, and thus preserved as an evidence to later
generations that the antediluvians perished by a Flood. God designed that
the discovery of these things should establish faith in inspired history; but
men, with their vain reasoning, fall into the same error as did the people
before the Flood,— the- things which God gave them as a benefit, they turn
into a curse by making a wrong use of
them."—"Patriarchs and Prophets,"
page 112.
"Whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever." Eccl. 3: 14. And since
"God designed that the discovery of these things should establish .faith in
inspired history," we may conclude that in the last days, His true people
will be found making use of these geological facts in this way and for this
purpose. In fact, no department of modern science is of greater interest
and importance for the people of God to-day than the wonderful truths
that have been discovered in the rocks, proving that the "world that then
was, being overflowed with water, perished." 2 Peter 3 6.
The lessons for the first quarter of 1921 are entitled "The
Person of Christ."
Your Sabbath school membership goal should be the church
membership plus the children who are not members.
28
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
Lesson 10 - Scientific Facts Anticipated
in the Bible
DECEMBER 4, 1920
Daily Study Outline
1.
Read "Counsels to Teachers," pages
185-190.
2.
The weight of the winds, the earth in
space
Ques. 1, 2
3.
Arcturus and light
Ques.
3, 4
4.
The
earth's rotation
Ques. 5, 6
5.
God's
watch-care
Ques. 7, 8
6.
'Modern
lessons
Ques. 9,10
7.
Review the lesson.
Questions
1.
What fact about the air was known in the very earliest
days? Job 28: 25. Note 1.
2.
How is the earth supported in space? Job 26: 7; Heb.
1: 3. Note 2.
3.
What question was asked of Job regarding one of the
brightest of the fixed stars? Job 38: 32. Note 3.
4.
How does the Bible seem to describe the rotation of the
earth? Verse 14. Note 4.
5.
What is said about the difference between the stars?
1 Cor. 15: 41. Note 5.
6.
How close is God's watch-care over the things on the
earth? Matt. 10: 29, 30; Ps. 104:24.
7.
What did the psalmist say of God's knowledge of man's
doings? For what did he praise the Lord? Ps. 139: 1-5,
14-16. Note 6.
8.
Give texts that connect creation with redemption. Why
are these subjects connected in this way? Isa. 43: 1, 11;
40: 9, 12, 21, 22, 26, 27; 2 Cor. 4: 6; Col. 1: 14, 16.
9.
Plants feed on inorganic, or non-living substances, but
animals can feed on the organic, or living substances only;
that is, they must have their food prepared for them by
plants. What remarkable recognition of this great scien-
tific truth do we find in the Bible? Job 28: 5; Ps. 104: 14.
Note 7.
10.
What prophecy includes in its prediction the extensive
travel and the great increase in human knowledge in the last
days? Dan. 12: 4.
Notes
1.
The physical fact that the air has a real "weight," has been under-
stood only in comparatively modern times. But we now know that the air
by its weight exerts a constant pressure of 14.7 pounds to the square inch
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
29
upon objects at sea level. We are enabled to raise water in a pump, not
because "nature abhors a vacuum," but because of the pressure of the air
on the surface of the water in the well ,outside the pump. But ages ago,
Job said that the air has weight.
2.
It would be tiresome to state the various theories that have formerly
prevailed as to how the earth is physically supported. Some people have
said that it is supported on the back of a huge elephant, some that it is
supported on the shoulders of a giant. But Job declared that God has hung
the earth out in space, supported by nothing. How then is the earth up-
held? The writer of the book of Hebrews says that it is upheld-by the word
of God's power. Science now affirms that the earth has no material or
physical support.
We often speak of "gravitation" as the force that holds the worlds in
order in their wondrous circuit through space. But we need to remember
that gravitation is not a thing, but merely a convenient name for a way in
which nature has been observed to act. This term really explains nothing.
We have no scientific explanation of the cause of gravitation, or of any
other attractive forces, such as cohesion and adhesion. These "forces" are
only names to express the way in which the great Jehovah has decreed that
matter should act.
"It is easy to explain any form of a push in a physical way ; but gravity
is not a push but a pull. And how are we to explain the method by which
a body can act where it is not, how explain in detail the way by which it
can reach out and pull in toward itself another separated body, and exert
this pull across the immeasurably wide fields of space? The law of inverse
squares may tell us very accurately the manner in which the results are
accomplished, for our Creator is a God of order. But there is no material-
istic theory of the why of gravitation that is worth employing the time of
sensible, truth-loving people. And we can rest assured that there never will
be any such real explanation save that this is the way which the great
Jehovah has ordained. Since such theories only explain the known in terms
of the unknown, they can serve only as a sort of mental buffer or shield
between us and the conception of the direct working of a personal God,
whose word must always be as effective throughout the remotest corners of
His universe as near at hand, for the very simple reason that matter has
no 'properties' which He has not imparted to it, and accordingly it can
have no innate inertia or reluctance to act which God's word would need
to overcome in order to induce it to act, even when this word operates
across the wide fields of space. On this explanation' these phenomena of
'action at a distance' are at least intelligible; while . . . they are intelligible
in no other way."—"Q.
E. D., or New Light on the Doctrine of Creation,"
pages 39, 40.
3.
Arcturus is a huge sun, the brightest of the fixed stars in the northern
hemisphere, and may be easily distinguished by being in an almost direct
line with the "tail" of the Great Bear, or the handle of the "Big Dipper.
-
1 t is about one thousand times the size of our sun, and travels through space
at the inconceivable rate of 15,420 miles in a minute. This velocity makes
it the most swiftly moving body in the universe, so far as we know. Our
own sun carries its system of worlds with their moons along with it as it
sweeps through space at the rate of eighteen miles a second ; so Arcturus,
being many times larger, doubtless has a far more majestic system of worlds
that it carries along with it. These might very naturally be called "sons."
In such case, we can
see
the deep significance of the Lord's question to
Job as given in the authorized version, "Canst thou guide Arcturus with
his sons?"
4.
The evident meaning is, "It [the earth] is turned [to the sun] as
clay [is turned] to the seal." Now the seal is usually the thing that moves :
but the clay (which is the earth) is presented as being turned, so that its
various parts come in contact with the seal (the sun), and because of this
turning, "all things stand forth in bright array," as one translator renders
the last part of this verse.
30
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
5.
"The differences of brightness [of glory] are due, first, to difference
of distance ; second, to difference of dimensions, or of light-giving area ;
third, to difference in the brilliance of the light-giving surface, depending
upon difference of temperature and constitution."
The difference in the constitution of the stars is doubtless largely respon-
sible also for the difference in their color; for Aldebaran and Betelgeuse
shine with a bright red light, Sirius, Regulus, Vega, and Spica with a white
light, and Procyon, Capella, and Polaris with a yellow light. Every ray of
light therefore that flashes forth from the stars has its own individuality,
as it were. "Hence the eye of Omniscience, seeing a ray of light anywhere
in the universe, though gone from its source a thousand years, would be able
to tell from what orb it originally came." "As we are known by our doing,
so the stars are known by their light. The eye of All-wisdom views a ray
of light and knows,, as you know the words of this book, its marvelous mes-
sage that it carries from its star."
6.
Ps. 139: 14-16, A. R. V., reads as follows:
"I will give thanks unto Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:
"Wonderful are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
"My frame was not hidden from Thee, when I was made in secret, and
curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
"Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance; and in Thy book they
were all written, even the days that were ordained for me, when as yet
there was none of them."
7.
Science recognizes, as the best distinction between animals and plants,
the fact that plants can take inorganic material, or non-living substance,
and make it over into living material, incorporating it into their own
tissues. Animals, however, cannot do this; they must have the non-living
materials already worked over for them by plants before they can take this
material and incorporate it into their bodies.
Lesson 11—The Beginning of Apostate
Religions
DECEMBER 11, 1920
Daily Study Outline
1.
Read "Patriarchs and Prophets," pages
117-124; "The Great Controversy,"
pages 552-592.
2.
Our attitude toward God
3.
Preparation to meet God
4.
The beginnings of heathen religions
5.
The modern apostasy
6.
God's message for to-day
7.
Review the lesson.
Ques. 1-3
Ques. 4-6
Ques. 7-11
Ques. 12,13
Ques. 14,15
Questions
1.
What should be our constant attitude toward God?
Deut. 10: 12. Note 1.
2.
What change is wrought in the character of one who
maintains close communion with God? Ex. 34: 29; 2 Cor.
3: 18. Note 2.
3.' What counsel is given in Heb. 12: 28, 29 relative to our
manner of approach to God? Note 3.
4. What directions were given to the Israelites prepara-
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
31
tory to God's special manifestation of Himself on Sinai?
Ex. 19: 10-13, 21.
5.
What effect dizi a special manifestation of God's pres-
ence have on Job? Job 42: 5, 6.
6.
What effect did God's speaking from Sinai have upon
the majority of the Israelites? Ex. 20: 19. Note 4.
7.
What followed as a result of their forgetting God?
Ex. 32: 1-6, 26-28.
8.
What warning did Paul give Timothy regarding the
false theories of science? 1 Tim 6: 20, 21.
9.
What does Paul give as the real explanation of the be-
ginnings of the various heathen religions? Rom. 1: 21-23, 28.
Note 5.
10.
Why were they without excuse in turning, away from
the truth? Verses 19, 20.
11.
What part did science falsely so called have in the
great apostasy? 1 Tim. 6: 20; Col. 2: 8; 2 Thess. 2: 10, last
part, 11, 12. Compare 1 Kings 22: 21, 22. Note 6.
12.
What picture has 'Peter given us of the peculiar mix-
ture of religion and false science that would be seen in the
"last days"? 2 Peter 3: 3, 4.
13.
The first beast of Revelation 13 received its world
power by the union of apostate Christianity with civil gov-
ernment for its own wicked purposes. Modern apostate Prot-
estantism is full of the fables of the "higher criticism" and
the "new theology." When it gets control of the civil govern-
ments in these last days, what will be the result? Rev.
13: 11-14.
14.
In view of this great modern apostasy, what timely
message does God send to this generation? Rev. 14: 7.
15.
What are God's true people exhorted to do? Rev. 18: 4.
Notes
1.
The fear of God is not slavish terror, but respectful, affectionate
reverence.
2.
"When Christ took human nature unon Him, He bound humanity to
Himself by a tie of love that can never be broken by any power save the
choice of man himself. Satan will constantly present allurements to induce
us to break this tie,- to choose to separate ourselves from Christ. Here is
where we need to watch, to strive, to pray, that nothing may entice us to
choose
another master; for we are always free to do this. But let us keep
our eyes fixed upon Christ, and He will preserve us. Looking unto Jesus, we
are safe. Nothing can pluck us out of His hand. In constantly beholding
Him, we 'are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by
the Spirit of the Lord.'
"-"Stepa to Christ," page
77.
3.
It is only fitting that in our manner of approach to God, we cultivate
habits of reverence for Him. Bowing reverently before Him is more than
a mere form: it is an aid to true devotion.
32
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
4. In the bright light now shining upon the various processes of nature.
we have a very special revelation of God and His power in nature. But
most scientific writers have treated this modern revelation of God about as
the Israelites did. In effect they have said: "Let nature as an abstract
force speak to us, and we will hear; but let not a personal God, the living
Creator, speak with us." And this refusal by modern scientists to "retain
God in their knowledge" (Rom. 1: 28) could not possibly result otherwise
than it has always in the past; namely, in fostering widespread infidelity,
resulting in virtual heathenism on the part of the rising generation.
6. "It is a mistake to think that the religions of Greece and Rome, of
Egypt and Babylon, consisted any more than do those of modern India and
China merely of forms and ceremonies and idol worship. Such both the
ancient and the modern system may have been or may be to a large class
of their unthinking, degraded devotees. But in their beginnings, and to all
their more intelligent followers, they were much more than this. Rather
must we say that all are philosophic systems for explaining the phenomena
of nature, the origin of things, and man's relationship to the universe and
to the Power at the head of the universe."—"Back
to the Bible," page 117.
6. Roman Catholicism may be regarded as having originated largely in
the tendency in the early centuries to make and restate Christianity so as to
harmonize more fully with the heathen Greek science and philosophy then
prevalent. This modification of doctrine and practice resulted in the Ro-
man Catholic form of so-called Christianity ; and the union with the civil
power
gave
it authority over the consciences of men. But, as might be
expected, the Roman Catholic doctrine of to-day contains many elements
inherited from the old Greek philosophies regarding the origin of things and
God's relationship to the things of nature.
Lesson 12—The Truth of Creation a Part
of the Last-Day Message
DECEMBER
18, 1920
Daily Study Outline
1.
Read "The Great Controversy," pages
603-612; "Early Writings," pages 220-
222, new edition.
2.
The increase of knowledge
3.
The message for to-day
4.
Ancient and modern apostasies
5.
Modern idolatry
6.
Proclaiming the message
7.
Review the lesson.
Ques. 1-4
Qnes. 5-7
Qnes. 8,6
Ques. 10-12
Qnes. 13,19
Questions
1.
What did the angel tell Daniel would take place in the
time of the end? Dan. 12: 4.
2.
What kind of knowledge especially was to be increased?
Answer:
Knowledge of God's Word and of His works. Note 1.
3.
What is one of the objects in this increase of knowl-
edge? Matt. 24: 14.
4.
What is the second topic in the first angel's message?
Rev. 14: 7, last part.
5.
In connection with Isaiah's wonderful picture of the
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLV
33
Creator's power, what message is "Zion" commanded to pro-
claim? Isa. 40: 9. Note 2.
6.
God's messages are always appropriate, always timed
to meet a real situation, a real emergency. What does Isaiah's
message imply will be the condition of the world just before
the second coming of Christ?
Answer:
That practically all
the world will in the last days be forgetful of the Creator and
of His claims upon them. Note 3.
7.
What is included in this call to worship the Creator?
Answer:
The revival of the truth about the Sabbath of the
commandment (Rev. 14: 12), the memorial of a literal crea-
tion. This includes timely protest against all the false ideas
about the origin of the world.
8.
What comparison is made between the philosophy
taught in the age before the Flood, and that taught just be-
fore the second coming of Christ? Note 4.
9.
What have we been told will be one of the results of
teaching false views of science in the last days? Note 5.
10.
What do people do who cease to worship the great
Creator? Rom. 1: 21-23, 28.
11.
What besides idols of wood and stone may people wor-
ship? Note 6.
12.
What picture does Isaiah give of the world in the last
days? Isa. 2: 7.
13.
How does Peter connect the rejection of the message
about the second coming of Christ with the teaching of false
theories about the Flood and about creation? 2 Peter 3: 3-7.
14.
What solemn prophecy is given in Ezekiel regarding .
God's dealings with the idolaters of the last days? Ezek.
8: 15, 16; 9: 4-6, 11. Note 7.
Notes
1. "The present wonderful increase of knowledge manifest in the har-
nessing of the forces of nature, is not the result of inherent racial progress,
but has come about, as declared in the Bible, by divine interposition for a
special purpose. Had it been the result of racial evolution, it ought to have
come about somewhat gradually, and not be all crowded into the last hun-
dred years or so,— a mere fraction of human history,— and after the suc-
cessive collapse of so many civilizations.
"There is a reason for it all. The end of the ages was drawing on. Sin
would finally go to seed ; the last great world apostasy was to be allowed to
develop, to show to the universe what the race would do if left to itself.
Looking down the dark, tear-misted vista of the ages, God saw how human
ingenuity would seek to pervert into a burlesque of creation the vastly in-
creased knowledge of nature, and relegate to, shelves of dust and cobwebs as
mere antiquarian literature the Book which He had given us to be the guide
of life. And so He timed a special reform for His faithful people to give
to the world just before the end, calling upon this age of evolutionists to
worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains
of waters.' Rev. 14: 7. And then He placed in the hands of men these in-
34
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
struments of hurried travel and instantaneous communication, to speed on
the church's long-delayed work, so as to complete it in 'this generation.' "—
"Back to the Bible," pages 151, 152.
s
2.
This message is for the last days, as is seen from verse 10. Such a
message as this recorded in Isaiah 40, about the Creator and His power and
wisdom, is therefore especially appropriate for the last days, just before the
Lord is to come with rewards for the faithful.
3.
"In the days of Noah, men, animals, and trees, many times larger
than now exist, were buried, and thus preserved as an evidence to later
generations that the antediluvians perished by a flood. God designed that
the discovery of these things should establish faith in inspired history; but
men, with their vain reasoning, fall into the same error as did the people
before the Flood,— the things which God gave them as a benefit, they turn
into a curse by making a wrong use of
them."—"Patriarchs and Prophets,"
page 112.
One of the chief reasons why modern scientists reject the idea of a uni-
versal flood, is to account scientifically for all present-day conditions of the
earth without acknowledging the direct interposition of God in earthly phe-
nomena or even in the origin of the earth.
.4. Speaking of the time before the second coming of Christ, the spirit
of prophecy has told us: "Then, as in the world before the Flood, iniquity
will prevail. Following the promptings of their corrupt hearts and the
teachings of a deceptive philosophy, men will rebel against the authority of
Heaven."— Id., page 89.
5.
"A day of great intellectual darkness has been shown to be favorable
to the success of the papacy. It will yet be demonstrated that a day of
great intellectual 'light is equally favorable for its success. In past ages,
when men were without God's Word, and without the knowledge of the
truth, their eyes were blindfolded, and thousands were ensnared, not
seeing
the net spread for their feet. In this generation there are many whose eyes
become dazzled by the glare of human speculations, 'science falsely so
called' ; they discern not the net, and walk into it as readily as if blind-
folded. God designed that man's intellectual powers should be held as a gift
from his Maker, and should be employed in the service of truth and right-
eousness ; but when pride and ambition are cherished, and men exalt their
own theories above the Word of God, then intelligence can accomplish
greater harm than ignorance. Thus the false science of the present day,
which undermines faith in the Bible, will prove as successful in preparing
the way for the acceptance of the papacy, with its pleasing forms, as did
the withholding of knowledge in opening the way for its aggrandizement
in the Dark
Ages."—"The Great Controversy," pages 572, 578.
6.
"It is as easy to make an idol of false doctrines and theories as to
fashion an idol of wood or stone. By misrepresenting the attributes of God,
Satan leads men to conceive of Him in a false character. With many, a
philosophical idol is enthroned in the place of Jehovah ; while the living
God, as He is revealed in His Word, in Christ, and in the works] of creation,
is worshiped by but few. Thousands deify nature, while they deny the God
of nature. Though in a different form, idolatry exists in the Christian
world to-day as verily as it existed among ancient Israel in the days of
Elijah. The god of many professedly wise men, of philosophers, poets,
politicians, journalists,— the god of polished fashionable circles, of many
colleges
,
and universities, even of some theological institutions,— is little
better than Baal, the sun god of Phcenicia."—
Id., page 588.
7.
It is evident that the special light which we now have on the subject
of creation has been designed by God to enable us in these last days to ap-
preciate what it is to have a Creator, and what it is to be a creature, in a
way that could not be appreciated by those of other days. We cannot doubt
that these truths have been brought to our attention at this time to aid us
in carrying to the world the message of Rev. 14: 7, and to add their part
in the work of proclaiming the Sabbath "more fully," as predicted in "Early
Writings," page 85, new edition.
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
35
The Thirteenth Sabbath offering to be taken on December
25 is to be given to the Brazil and North Brazil Mission fields,
in South America. A liberal Christmas gift to these fields is
greatly needed.
Lesson 13— The
-
Review
DECEMBER 25, 1920
CREATION AND FALL
Lesson 1:
1.
What did God create in the beginning?
2.
How did He create all things?
Lesson 2:
1.
Tell what you can of Adam's home and occupation.
2.
Point out differences between nature then and now.
Lesson 3:
1.
Describe the evil work of doubt in the Garden of Eden.
2.
What was the curse pronounced upon man? Upon
woman? Upon the earth?
TRUTH AND ERROR ABOUT CREATION
Lesson 4:
1: Show that the work of creation was completed in six
days, and is not now going on.
2. What modern error does this truth overthrow?
Lesson 5:
1.
Give proofs that the six days of creation were literal days.
2.
What is the relation of the Sabbath to the literal week?
THE FLOOD AND ITS EFFECTS
Lesson 6:
1.
Describe the beginnings of apostasy before the Flood.
2.
How did God deal with this apostasy?
Lesson 7:
1.
Show that the Flood was universal.
2.
What covenant did God make with Noah regarding
the Flood?
Lesson 8:
1.
Mention some of the changes in nature effected by
the Flood.
2.
How did apostasy arise again after the Flood?
NATURE AND REVELATION
Lesson 9:
1. How is the book of nature related to the book of reve-
lation (the Bible)?
36
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
2. What great law of life established at creation• still
holds good?
Lesson 10:
1.
Mention some scientific facts revealed by writers of
the Bible.
2.
What prophecy predicts a marked increase of scientific
and spiritual knowledge?
APOSTASY AND THE MESSAGE
Lesson 11:
1.
Point out some ways in which false science and religion
have been mixed in these last days.
2.
What timely message does God send to this generation?
Lesson 12:
1.
Give important reasons why the truth of God as Creator
should be 'recognized and preached in the last days.
2.
What special message of reform was predicted of the
last days? What is the sign of loyalty to the Creator?
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